Friday, February 2, 2018

Joint Chiefs of Staff evaluation of Office of War Information ciphers

During WWII
the US Office
of War Information engaged in intelligence gathering and propaganda
activities against the Axis powers.

The
representatives of the OWI used various cipher systems in order to protect
their communications and these systems were examined by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.

A summary
report was issued in July 1944 and it found problems with physical security,
classification procedures, stereotyped messages and cipher reuse.

Regarding OWI
ciphers it was noted that ‘Present double
transposition keys have been in use since they were produced by the Signal
Corps in late 1942 and early 1943’ and the recommendation was ‘That immediate supersession of these keys be
accomplished and that provision be made for their more frequent supersession in
the future’.